Insect Diversity in Cambodian Stamps: A Philatelic and Historical Perspective

Art plays a vital role in biodiversity conservation by bridging science, culture, and public engagement, helping people understand environmental changes and biodiversity issues. Postage stamp is considered as one mean of communications to connect art with science. Insect-themed stamps are often issued to showcase a country's insect diversity. However, the publication trends, insect species diversity, and issuance patterns of these stamps over time have not been well-documented in Cambodia. This study aimed to analyze the diversity of insects featured on Cambodian stamps and investigate the issuance patterns of insect-themed stamps over different periods in Cambodia. We collected and reviewed the data from four online websites including Colnect, Stampworld, Masakazu, and Patrice from 1969 to 2024. We identified 316 insect stamps in Cambodia, representing 119 species from 94 genera, 25 families, and 7 orders, with the majority belonging to the orders of Lepidoptera and Coleoptera. Of the 119 species, only 27 have been recorded from Cambodia. We found several errors on the stamps including misspelled scientific names and incorrect classifications. Our study also indicated that the majority of insect stamp publications occurred after periods of civil war from 1980 to 2024. This study highlights how Cambodian insect-themed stamps reflect the country's biodiversity, cultural history, and national identity. The depiction of insects on Cambodian stamps may serve as an educational tool, promoting public interest in entomology and insect conservation. Thus, reliable identification should be ensured to provide more accurate information to the public.